Pages

Monday, September 20, 2010

I cannot find any suitable words to express my sincerest THANKS to all of you who greeted me on my birthday.

I am truly richer for having quality-- genuine friends like you. Truly, you are the reason why life on earth is truly amazing and enriching. Because you freely gave me the abundance of your gift of persons, I am what God wants me to be and I wish no more than that. I wish nothing but you too may be the best that you can be.

The greatest gift you’ve ever given me on this day is the joy your greetings brought me. Tremendous and unexplainable joy I am feeling now. You are forever remembered because you resided in the deepest recesses of my heart.

That’s the reason why I want to thank each and everyone of you my friends in this post, in case I may fail to remember what you’ve told me on this special day. I want to record it for eternity and I want the world to know that true friends are always remembered.

All of you are very very special to me. Not because some are richer than the others or some are gifted more looks or appeal than others. I do not judge according to physical appearance. I see your inmost sincerity. A true-ness in friendship always comes out. It will never be concealed.

I thank my dear parents who showed me love and care; my mother who bore me and cared for me, I love you more than any word I could say; my father who never give up amidst the difficulty of rearing 8 children (I am the youngest).

My thanks goes also to my Kuyas Mon, Romy, Juaning, Tom, Paul, thank you. To my two Ate Aida and Frena, thank you for the sisterly care; and to Ate Luzviminda wherever you are.

To my one and only love of my heart Rhoda I so adored. Thank you for the love and care you are so wonderfully created. Let me grow old with you. Let me see my children through you. Thanks for Tatang and Nanang for giving you to me.

To Father Adam MacDonald, SVD, my former confrere in the SVD community, thank you very much for always remembering me and my family in your Masses. To my classmate Fr. Robert Laka-Plews, SVD from Papua new Guinea; To Fr. Ronaldo Manabat in Basco, Batanes Cathedral, Fr. Abe Arganiosa of Catholic Defender, my former classmate Tholitz Sardeña whose lives always fascinate me.

To all my Muslim and non-Muslim Arab friends who are so wonderful and kindhearted, to me, you will always be my brothers because we are all under the mercy and generosity of One God, Lord of all – Ahmad Amar احمد عمر, Khaled Esso, Eyad El-Zinary, Anas Sayyed, Majd Tawil, Basel Obedat, Monty Awad, Abood Qudah, thank you.

To Ala’a (Alexandro) Naffa, my dearest Muslim brother, thank you for teaching me about the wonders of your faith. We have proven that the difference in our faith can never be a barrier to anyone’s friendship. Your Islamic faith is as wonderful as my Christian faith and we will always be the best brothers we can be in our own respective beliefs. Thanks for taking me to your family as well. My family remembers you too.

To my brothers Ahmad Hamdan Sbeih in Jordan; Abdelghani Eisa in Egypt; Hashim Ali Hashim in Saudi Arabia who is now studying in London; one of Palestine's greatest swimmers Fadi Awisat; and to Abady Alam in Saudi Arabia who forgot my birthday today, my sincerest thanks to you for the special link of friendship we have and for the trust. I will not forget you.

Thank you Chel Tabang, Alvin Espiritusanto, Ellain Espiritusanto, Michelle Ines, Daisy Basilio, Francis Angelo Menor, Marleen Carnaje, Chinaka Okoroafor, Yaekyum Lee, Evelyn Andal and Bryan Tamis, Jessie Malaya, to Zavis Jimenez my one-time US Military friend before in Kuwait, thanks for the message, much appreciated, it's been six years when we first know each other lol; and Russ Miller, thanks a lot!

My co-workers here in Qatar who came and shook hands with me, Warren Vacaro (from Laguna), Nicolas Josef from Bordeaux, France, Zaw Win from Myanmar,, Marco Antonio Paz who is now working in Kentech, Tampico, Mexico; to Johnny Habchi from Lebanon but living in France, Anthony Mossmann from France and Matias Navarro from Argentina but living in Spain, all are enjoying their vacation now, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. My heart is so small to contain such an ocean of love from you. I hope this year is another opportunity for us to bond more closely for this is the greatest gift we can give and share — A genuine FRIENDSHIP!

God bless you all and always be safe.

Here are the greetings I've go from friends all over the world.

Rhoda Abella (CFC-Singles Vancouver, Canada)

Happy, Happy Birthday My Darling! Words aren't enough to express how much I love you... Though we're apart, you're always in my thoughts and in my heart... You're the man of my dreams and God's gift to me. May our good Lord showers us more blessings and good health always. God bless us and our families! Enjoy your special...l day. Take care always! Miss you! I love you ling... muwah!

‎"... on the wings of prayer we [Kevin and yours truly] send our warmest greetings...may your faith in God keep you safe from harm and may you be rewarded with abundant blessings..." LOVE-full day to you!

Bong Cabaluna (CFC-Singles Doha Qatar)

happy b-day kapatid! san ba kame pupunta sa thursday anu oras?

Abdelghani Eisa (Alexandria, Egypt)

Halo ernesto. happy birthday my dear friend. i miss qatar. your birthdya is 20 and me in 30. we are the same birthday in september. i am so happy coz we are friends. salam. ♥

Carina Javier (Ivana, Batanes - Brunei Darrusalam)

happy2 b-day classmate.wish u d best!ara va daw!

Gayle Marcela Hornedo Baroña (Ivana, Batanes Philippines)

happy bday kuya er...Godbless always..;)

Daisy Basilio Lucaten (San Clemente, Tarlac, Philippines)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

From Home (Bulacan)

happy birthday anak.

Glenn Lucero (CFC-Singles Doha, Qatar)

happy bday brod!

Francis Angelo Go Menor (Camiling, Tarlac, Philippines)

happy birthday!

Kristine Vasol Tivar (Virac, Catanduanes, Philipipnes)

happy birthday tito..godbless always..

Agnes Cabitac (Manila)

Happy Birthday uncle Er!..Godbless...:D

Maryjane Duguran Vasol (Ivana, Batanes, Canada)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! i WISH YOU ALL THE BEST ... A LOT OF BLESSINGS AND GOOD HEALTH AND PROSPERTY... TAKE CARE ALWAYS AND BE IN GOOD CHEER...

Fr. Adam MacDonald, SVD (Chicago, USA)

Greetings from your friend for a Happy, Happy Birthday! Did you change your Facebook page??? I no longer see you in my Friends' list. Please know that you're being remembered in my thoughts and prayers as you give thanks to God today for the gift of life. Take care and God bless!".

Marleen Carnaje (Silay City & Doha, Qatar)

happy happy birthday bro :)

Mark Brian Macabagdal (CFC-Singles Doha, Qatar)

Happy Birthday Bro! May the good Lord always bless and take care of you. have a great day today!

Chinaka Okoroafor (Ras Laffan, Qatar - Nigeria)

Happy Birthday Ernesto! I hope u r organizing a party for us. I wish u God's abundant blessings and many better years ahead. Enjoy your day!

Darling Aguto Antalan (Ivana, Batanes - USA)

happy birthday! :) imu maparara changuraw su red wine aw :)

Anthony Pacetes (CFC-Singles Jeddah, KSA)

Happy birthday tito..God bless po..ingat palage..

Merlyn Gabilo (Ivana, Batanes)

On ur b'day, some words of wisdom... ...smile while u still have teeth.

You know this is a very special day for me as it was my late beloved brother's birthday and as I told you I would NEVER forget this day.

I wish you the best wishes there is in the world, I pray that you and your family will always be safe with good health and wealth. Maybe you are not with yo......ur family now to celebrate this very special and important day of your life but remember that they love you and are depend on you all the time. Brother I want to thank you for always being there for me when needed and again wish you the best of luck in Life and I really hope to see you soon maybe when u come to Canada you can also pay a visit to your family here in HOUSTON...

BIRTHDAY... pareng errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!! wishing u all the best inlyf,more bdays to cme and alwys gudhealth thogh....godblesss!

Boneng Villamil (CFC Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)

Happy Birthday T2 Er! God bless.

Jessie Mangahas (Norzagaray, Bulacan)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY .....uncle we mis you and we love you saw much.. take care always..god bless

Majd Tawil (Palestine)Happy birthday ernesto :d

Basel Obedat (Palestine)Happy birthday ernesto

Monty Awad (Cairo, Egypt)"happy birth day"

Abood Qudah (Amman, Jordan)happy birthday my best friend

Julius Battuing (Sabtang, Batanes)hapi bday n God bless

Zavis Jimenez (USA)Bon anniversaire, alles Gute zum Geburtstag, 生日快乐, buon compleanno, с днем рождения, 축 생일, feliz cumpleaños, happy birthday to you in french, german, chinese, italian, russian, korean and spanish hope your birthday is a wonderfully filled with many fond memories as you begin a new year of your life. Take and love of love.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

I am saddened by the news that came to me today through Bro. Anthony, a brother in the CFC Community in Jeddah, KSA that Bro. Ogie Guererro passed away yesterday while he and some companions were enjoying the weekends yesterday, 17-September-2010 in Obhur.

I cannot explain the sadness I am feeling right now. I wanted to share my grief to my community in Jeddah. I can only comfort myself by contemplating about the good memories we shared in the community while I was in Jeddah from 2006-2007. Our encounter may be very short but his personal witnessing to Christ and his exemplary service to the CFC Community will be remembered forever.

Tito Ogie's residence was just a few walks away from my house. He use to pick me and drop me home when there were big gatherings like teachings and celebration of the Holy Mass. He invites me to some dinner or just for bonding with other community members like Tito Fernan Palete with Tito Dennis Lee Rivera. We hold Tito Ogie on high esteem for his Christ-like leadership.

How could I forget Tito Ogie when he was there all the time when I needed his brotherly care. On the eve of my supposed deportation (after my sponsor failed to issue my Iqama) he and two other Titos (Andrew and Dennis) patiently waited for me at McDonalds. He ensured that I have everything I needed before the "raid" would take place.

Three days while I hiddenly housed by a Filipino muttawas inside a "safe-house" in Sarafia Street, he and Tito Dennis use to drop by and treat me with my favorite "biryani."

Tito Ogie gave me hope and strength while I was patiently waiting for my flight from the Jawasat for 18 days. He assured me of our community's constant prayers in my behalf encouraging me to have faith in the Lord and to be patient.

Tito Ogie was God's ultimate instrument for flowing His blessings when I was totally dependent and in need of financial assistance. Thanks to Tito Rany Constantitno who became our father in the community that blessings start pouring in from our brethren in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

During one of his vacation in the Philippines, I visited him with his family in Marilao, Bulacan. His house is just two rides away from my brother's house. I met his family and shared good times together.

I had always hoped to meet him again in Jeddah or in Bulacan if there would be any chance but that hope vanished when I learned of his death.

The feeling of sadness I felt was very personal to me. I had cousins and relatives who died before but I didn't grieved that much. In Tito Ogie's death I was deeply mourning. I was moved to tears but I couldn't. I was feeling frustrated. Yes I was a bit angry.

But then, I have to remind myself of the fact that life on earth is just temporary and that we have to be prepared anytime.

I maybe sad for losing a dear brother and a loving and trusted friend but our faith in the Lord should give me the reason to rejoice for he is now with the Lord.

I will always miss you Tito Ogie. Through our prayers and sacrifices, may the Lord cleanse you from your sins and receive you in Paradise. May your soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

To his family, may your faith sustains you during this difficult times. May you find shelter and strength in the Lord who is the source of our life.

May you be strengthened by our community and may you always find joy and peace in Christ the Lord.

In his letter to the Romans (8:38-39), St. Paul has a very beautiful reminder for all of us pilgrims that "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, 10 nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Our KSA CFC Community is mourning. In behalf of our CFC Qatar Community, I join you brethren in your grief for the loss of our dear brother Ogie Gurerro.

Here is a letter from Bro. Andrew for those who wish to extend their condolences to his bereaved family.

For more than 2,000 years now, the Catholic Church has stood many wars and schisms. The Church survived attacks from all sides – from non-Christians, non-Catholics and Catholics themselves, the Universal Church has never wavered and is now 2,010 years old as we all see in our calendars (see Catholic Church Timeline).

I must admit I really love the Catholic Church and I love the Pope. I haven’t been so proud for being part of this Universal Church.

Among the many good reasons why I love Catholicism is that WE HAVE IT ALL!

We have variations of worship. We have what the Pentecostal Christians have—the Catholic Charismatic groups in various name but belonging to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ. We praise God in dance, trumpets, lyre, lutes, harps, drums, guitar, piano, bass – we have great Charismatic preachers in good numbers in different tongues and races.

We have the contemplatives where we can praise God in total silence and solitude. We have the monks, the hermits, the monateries, convents, retreat houses etc.

We have the Sacraments COMPLETE. Other Christians have 4 or 5 or 3 but in the Catholic Church we have the 7 Sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, Penance or Reconciliation, Matrimony or Marriage, Holy Orders, Last Rite or the Anointing of the Sick.

We recognize three VOCATIONS: Married Life, Consecrated Life, and Single Blessedness.

We believe in Jesus Christ BOTH GOD and MAN as oppose to some Protestants who believed Jesus as God ONLY and to some who believed he’s a Man ONLY.

We accept all the 21 Ecumenical Councils (see Summary here) which our separated brethren in the Orthrodox Church recognized only some. In the Protestant Church, some totally recognized none of them.

We stand on what is TRUE. We do not succumb to secularism or political correctness.

We stand on what the Apostles stood for. We do not conform to modern cultures. We do not exist on popularity.

We promote UNITY. We initiate dialogue to other faiths. We promoted Ecumenism among Christian communities and Religious Dialogue among non-Christian faiths.

We meddle between the growing hatred between our elder brethren, the JEWS and our younger brethren, the MUSLIMS even at some point some infringe groups hated us most.

We promote PEACE. We build bridges to UNDERSTANDING. We unite cultures. We unite peoples. We heal wounds of division. We promote friendship. We let them walk inside our “houses of worship” even some religions do not allow us to enter theirs.

We LOVE LIFE. We PROTECT it. We detest abortion. We fight for the rights of every unborn child. We detest euthanasia. We care our elderly. We DO NOT agree on Capital Punishment. We stand for the promotion of HUMAN PERSON’S DIGNITY. We give and share Life, NOT to take it away. Only God can. We see the SANCTITY of Life.

We promote FAMILY VALUES. We oppose against unnatural family planning. We condemn the use of condoms, abortificient pills. We oppose against masturbation, same sex “marriage”, adoption of children by gay “couples” and promotion of sex. We view sex as something sacred that we promote celibacy, self-control, purity and virginity and marital respect for copulation. (see THE CHURCH TEACHINGS ABOUT BIRTH CONTROL)

We oppose DIVORCE, “what God has joined, no man can separate” thus making the Sacrament of Marriage SACRED and INDISOLUBLE.

We hated sin but not the sinner. We forgive repentant sinners (and apply justice to everyone who sinned) and give them a chance to amend their lives just as God has given us again and again the needed opportunity to correct our mistakes. We also elevate virtuous people who lived a saintly life. We promote emulating the saints who are heroes of the Church—friends of Christ whom they all looked up to.

We promote ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. We see the grave sin of destroying nature which God created it so “good.” We are stewards of Creation.

We stand on what is true and what is moral. We don’t change our teachings; we stick to what is TRUE according to Holy Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

We celebrate the Holy Eucharist as our common and highest form of worship. We have the same readings all over the world everyday in the Mass. We celebrate the life of Jesus from Conception to Resurrection until he comes again.

We are united under the leadership of the Pope, the successor of Peter, our Central authoritative figure. There are no dissenters. When you say you are a Catholic you should adhere to what the Catholic Church teaches. If you don’t then you ceased to bear the name.

1. ‘Id Al-Fitr, which concludes Ramadan, presents, once again, a favorable occasion to convey to you the heartfelt wishes of serenity and joy on behalf of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

Throughout this month, you have committed yourselves to prayer, fasting, helping the neediest and strengthening relations of family and friendship. God will not fail to reward these efforts!

2. I am delighted to note that believers of other religions, especially Christians, are spiritually close to you during these days, as is testified by the various friendly meetings which often lead to exchanges of a religious nature. It is pleasing to me also to think that this Message could be a positive contribution to your reflections.

3. The theme proposed this year by the Pontifical Council, Christians and Muslims: Together in overcoming violence among followers of different religions, is, unfortunately, a pressing subject, at least in certain areas of the world. The Joint Committee for Dialogue instituted by the Pontifical Council and al-Azhar Permanent Committee for Dialogue among the Monotheistic Religions had also chosen this topic as a subject of study, reflection and exchange during its last annual meeting (Cairo, 23 - February 24, 2010). Permit me to share with you some of the conclusions published at the end of this meeting.

4. There are many causes for violence among believers of different religious traditions, including: the manipulation of the religion for political or other ends; discrimination based on ethnicity or religious identity; divisions and social tensions. Ignorance, poverty, underdevelopment are also direct or indirect sources of violence among as well as within religious communities. May the civil and religious authorities offer their contributions in order to remedy so many situations for the sake of the common good of all society! May the civil authorities safeguard the primacy of the law by ensuring true justice to put a stop to the authors and promoters of violence!

5. There are important recommendations also given in the above mentioned text: to open our hearts to mutual forgiveness and reconciliation, for a peaceful and fruitful coexistence; to recognize what we have in common and to respect differences, as a basis for a culture of dialogue; to recognize and respect the dignity and the rights of each human being without any bias related to ethnicity or religious affiliation; necessity to promulgate just laws which guarantee the fundamental equality of all; to recall the importance of education towards respect, dialogue and fraternity in the various educational arenas: at home, in the school, in churches and mosques. Thus we will be able to oppose violence among followers of different religions and promote peace and harmony among the various religious communities. Teaching by religious leaders, as well as school books which present religions in an objective way, have, along with teaching in general, a decisive impact on the education and the formation of younger generations.

6. I hope that these considerations, as well as the responses which they elicit within your communities, and with your Christian friends, will contribute to the continuation of a dialogue, growing in respect and serenity, upon which I call the blessings of God!